Tuesday, 19 August 2014

It's been two weeks since I moved to the Cayman Islands to start my new job as a pastry cook and it's been... Hmmm... I don't know... interesting, I guess...

I am still adjusting to my new life here on the island. To be honest, I have not seen much of it yet... The tourist attractions and all, but I have plenty of time for that later. The day after I got to the island, I went straight to orientation which lasted for three days. Then I've been working since (I'll get to more details about my new job in a bit). I did have a day off last week but it was moving day for me. After staying in a hotel for a week, I finally found a new home. I also have a housemate/workmate who is also new to the island and it's nice that we're on the same boat and discovering new places together.

It's so hot and humid here, and you know how I feel about hot and humid places... But I'm gonna keep my whining short... So, moving on...

Now, the new job as a pastry cook... I thoroughly enjoyed my first couple of weeks and what can I say, it's brilliant! I work in the bakery section and we bake so many wonderful breads everyday... From focaccia to sourdough, wheat bread, fruit and nut bread, and my current favourite is the fennel and raisin rolls. Ah, it's so good! I thought it was a strange combination at first but wait until you taste it. I posted a picture of it on my Instagram (@michael_toa).

I have a great mentor and she is so good! She is fast with dough, highly organised, knowledgeable and most importantly she keeps me in line! It takes a different attitude and organisational skill to bake in a professional kitchen compare to baking at home... And it's something I'm still getting used to.

The transition has not been an easy one if I'm being honest. I get nervous at times surrounded by these professional chefs with years of experience and I'm just a home baker, previously working in an office dealing with immigration issues. I got weird looks every time I'm asked about my working experience.

Of course I want to do a great job and I try my best to not make a fool of myself but it's all too late... I am not clumsy, but the other day, I was just doing a simple task of rolling a pastry sheet and I wanted to, you know, do it quickly and efficiently like all the other chefs, and somehow my pastry sheet ended up on the floor in front of everyone. *insert swear word here* !!! I was mortified. What an amateur!

*sigh... It's my day off today and I'm taking it easy. Relaxing at home and looking forward to catch up with my blog reading list. And for lunch I made Nigella's Sicilian pasta with tomatoes, garlic and almonds which is incredibly easy to make. You only need to boil the pasta to al dente and the sauce is done in a food processor.

The sauce is really fresh with the cherry tomatoes, nice bite from the garlic, salty and tangy from the anchovies and capers, but also a little sweet, courtesy of the sultanas. Though I actually use golden raisins in mine. Whichever you have in your pantry. And the almonds and the olive oil bind the sauce together in the same way when you make a pesto. Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding a little pasta cooking water if it needs it. The only thing that's missing is a little strew of fresh basil on top of the pasta, but it's not the end of the world. And should you have some in your fridge, pour yourself a nice well-chilled wine and enjoy...